You Can't Protect Everyone
by PeggsterLover
Summary: Brandt knows that he can't protect everyone, but he will still try his damned hardest to do so. Especially when it's his friends who need protecting. Otherwise known as 'The One Where Benji Gets to Wear a Mask'.
1. Chapter 1

_Ok, so this idea randomly came to me while I was finishing off my last story. It seems that there are a lot more Brandt-centric stories out there (and by centric, I mean him getting hurt, endangered, drugged up etc) and that myself and a few other fanfiction buddies are the only ones writing the more Benji-centric ones LOL (I'm guessing us Benji gals are outnumbered by the Brandt gals… hehehe damn you Renner, damn you and your suaveness! xD)  
>So here's just another little fic in which there is endangeredhurt!Benji and angsty/whumped!Brandt._

_Hope you enjoy! And nope, still don't own them… :(_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

"This is our target. James Bisley. He's reportedly a head player in an illegal weapons trafficking business." Ethan pointed to the screen as he spoke, explaining to his three intrigued teammates what they were facing. "Our systems have picked up that he is in town to sell on some very dangerous weaponry and it's our job to prevent the goods from swapping hands."

"Ok, so how are we gonna do this?" Jane asked.

"I have set up a meet tonight with Bisley in a restaurant across town."

"You have?" Brandt asked.

"Yes, but I won't be the one going in." Ethan explained. "Jane and I will be seated in a surveillance van across the street, listening in."

"Well, who's gonna…" Benji piped up, wondering if Brandt would finally get the chance to seduce the rich guy this time.

"You are, Benji." Ethan's words made Benji laugh.

"You're joking, right?" he looked from Ethan to Brandt, wondering why the analyst wasn't taking the job. "You're not joking…" he sank back into his seat.

"I know you can do this, Benji." Ethan continued, taking a step forward and trying to reassure the man.

"Why not Brandt? He's way better at that than me at that sort of stuff."

"Because he's gonna be outside keeping an eye out for any of Bisley's goons." At this, Brandt sat up straight.

"Wait, I'm gonna be _what_?"

"You're gonna have Benji's back. You've had more experience in the field and are stronger fighter than him. No offence Benji." He turned to the technician on the last part, offering a sympathetic look. Benji raised his hands in defeat. "Look, it should be an easy mission. Benji poses as someone wanting to buy this weapon, makes him an offer he can't refuse, we go to the second meet and get the weapon before it gets into the other buyer's hands. Simple."

"Ethan, how many jobs have we worked where the word 'simple' could be used as an accurate description?" Brandt asked. Ethan glanced from him to Benji, who raised his eyebrows.

"Everything is gonna be fine, ok?" Ethan began to prepare his things.

_Famous last words… _Brandt thought, getting to his feet.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

"Alright, there you go." Jane finished off touching up Benji's mask and stepped back. "Voila." He looked in the mirror and felt slightly shocked. He now had dark brown hair that was slicked back in a business-like fashion and the facial features looked slightly older than his own.

"I suppose the bonus of this is that I finally get to wear one of these." He let one of his famous Benji grins cover his face, however it didn't look like one. The mask altered the way it showed and it made Benji slightly freaked out.

"Ok, so your name is?"

"Bradley Scott, CEO of Doyle and Co Enterprises."

"Ok." Jane placed her hand on his shoulder as they felt the van pull to a stop. "You're gonna be fine, Benji. We're gonna be right there the whole way. You can do this." She gave him a reassuring smile which he attempted to return, but failed quite spectacularly. Instead, he simply nodded.

"Ok, so the restaurant is just around that corner." Ethan spoke up from the driver's seat. You have his photograph so you know what he looks like. Brandt will follow you five minutes after you leave the van and we will drive around from the other side of the block. You ready?"

"As I'll ever be…" Benji gave the others a quick nod before exiting the vehicle and beginning his walk. He felt like he was walking to the gallows or something. Shaking his head, he adopted a professional walk to match the sharp suit Jane had picked out for him.

"Ok, Andromeda, last minute comm check." Ethan's voice came over his earpiece.

"Got you loud and clear, Whirlpool." He turned the corner and caught sight of the restaurant. This was it."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Hope it sounds good so far.  
>Much love x<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Ok, here's where things pick up a little…. Hope it's ok!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt was sitting on a bench just down from the restaurant, attempting to remain incognito whilst listening to the conversation Benji was now having with Bisley. Brandt had to admit, he was rather impressed with the very convincing Scottish accent the tech was pulling off; he would have to commend him on it later.

"How's everything looking in there, Sunflower?" he spoke into his mobile to avoid attention.

"Going smoothly." Jane's voice responded. "How about there?"

"Nothing suspicious as yet." Brandt glanced around subtly and was happy to see that there were no strange looking men hovering around the building. He leaned back and began to read his newspaper again when something caught his eye. A shady looking man the other side of the building's entrance looked at him before turning down an alleyway. "Close that. Whirlpool, Sunflower, I may have eyed one of Bisley's men. Will attempt to pursue."

"Copy that, Comet. Just don't do anything to break Andromeda's cover. Acknowledge?"

"Confirmed. I'm on it." Brandt stood and made his way down the alley spotting the strange man in the distance. He crept closer, fortunately the man was so engrossed in his phone conversation that he didn't notice the agent get merely feet away from him. Brandt jumped behind a dumpster and listened closely.

"I'm telling you, Mr Bisley, you're being watched. The guy that's in there with you may not be who he says he is."

_Shit… _Brandt thought. Glancing over the dumpster, he noticed that the man had disappeared. Touching his hand to his ear, he began to whisper.

"Andromeda, is or was the target on his phone? Cough once for yes, twice for no." his heart sank when he was given a one cough response. "Guys, we may have been compromised. Andromeda, I am calling your cell phone. Go with it and get the hell out of there." Brandt pulled out his phone and dialled, relieved when Benji picked up.

"Really?" the Scottish accent drifted into Brandt's ears and Benji acted along. "Can't this wait? I'm at a very important… I see. Fine. I'll meet you there." The phone line went dead and he heard Benji begin to excuse himself. Brandt sighed with relief and stood up, only to be met with a fist to the jaw. The man from earlier must have heard everything he had just said. The attacker swung another punch, but Brandt ducked, kicking out his leg at the man, instantly snapping his right knee. He saw the man pull out a knife and just managed to dodge the blade swinging at his torso. He grabbed the man's wrist and pushed forward on his elbow, feeling the joint crack on impact. The man let out a yell of pain and Brandt immediately twisted the arm, bringing the knife down into his attacker's chest. Covering the goon's mouth to prevent noise, Brandt felt him go limp and dropped him to the floor.

"Whirlpool, did Andromeda make it out?"

"He left the restaurant and made his way down an alleyway." Ethan replied. "Rendezvous at the next block."

"See you there." He began to walk quickly out of the alleyway and turned left, trying to not appear rushed just in case Bisley had anymore guys watching. As he walked, his heart raced, however it only intensified when he heard sounds of a struggle coming through his earpiece. "Whirlpool? Sunflower?"

"Not us…" Jane began but all three soon realised what it meant and Brandt picked up the pace.

"I'm on it!"

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Benji excused himself from the meeting and gave Bisley his business card before shaking his hand and exiting the restaurant. Turning left, he walked as relaxed and nonchalantly as he could, not wanting to alert anyone of the situation. Making a sharp turn down the next alleyway, he turned his step into a power walk, wanting to reach the rendezvous point as soon as possible. Reaching up, he pulled the mask from his face, throwing it and his wig into the gutter now that he was alone. But he soon found out that he was _not _alone. He skidded to a stop when a tall man stepped out in front of him. He turned on his heel and began to make his way back but another man appeared blocking that exit too. He gulped and looked between both men as they closed in on him. He had a very bad feeling about this. He felt each man grab one of his arms and hold him tight; the tech struggled but it was pointless. Another man appeared around the corner and approached him, causing him to become more and more terrified by the second.

Once the man was right in front of him, he felt a powerful fist force itself into his stomach, making him keel over in pain and let out a groan. As he tried to get his breath back, he felt himself being tugged forwards by both men and once they rounded the corner, he noticed a dark van waiting in the shadows with its doors open.

_Oh please no… _

He began to struggle once again, attempting to pull his arms from his captors' grasp, however, he felt the third man grab his shoulders. The next thing he knew, he was flying through the air straight towards the brick wall.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt turned into the alleyway and saw what was happening. He reached the other end just in time to see Benji hit the wall and collapse to the floor. His stomach dropped when his friend didn't move.

With a deep breath, he ran out and yelled, causing one of the men to turn and face him just in time for his face to meet Brandt's fist. A second man tried to grab Will around the torso and restrain him, but the agent was too quick, using the man's grip to propel himself into the air, he kicked out at the first man, sending the goon flying backwards into the mud. He then threw his head back, feeling the second man's nose crunch under the force and the grip slackened. He spun around and gave the man a sharp right hook. Turning, he saw the third man had lifted Benji's unconscious form and was throwing him into the back of the van. He was about to rush him when he felt a pain in his arm, looking down just in time to see the first man pulling a knife from his bicep. Screaming in pain, his vision went white for a moment; his distraction being used to the attackers advantage as they made their way to the van, one jumping in the driver's seat while the other two climbed in with Benji and closed the doors. He quickly returned to his feet and began to run towards the van, reaching out to pull the door open, however the men were one step ahead of him. Without warning, the door swung open and hit Brandt square in the face. The analyst flew backwards through the air and couldn't stop his eyes closing as he listened to the sound of the van disappear.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Poor Benji and Brandt! Hope it's sounding good so far!  
>Much love x<em> 


	3. Chapter 3

_Ok, this is just a short one, but I hope it's good. Oh and for anyone wondering the connection with the codenames in the previous chapter: Andromeda, Comet, Whirlpool and Sunflower are all galaxies.  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Jane and Ethan heard the struggle and quickly turned the van around, speeding down to where they thought their agents could be. They had heard the initial signs that Benji was in trouble but then heard it intensify, hearing Brandt become involved. When they heard him yell out in pain, they worried for his and Benji's safety, however when the comm suddenly went quiet, they feared the worst.

"Andromeda? Comet? Come in." Jane tried to hail either of them, however they received no response. "Andromeda, Comet, can you hear me?"

"Can you use the tracker?" Ethan asked from the driver's seat. Jane nodded and grabbed the laptop, typing frantically in her search for either Brandt or Benji's signals.

"Ok, I've got Brandt, he's just round the corner. Pull over here." Ethan stopped the van on Jane's command and turned to her.

"What about Benji?"

"He's a few blocks away."

"Stationary?" Ethan saw Jane's nod and watched her get out of the van. "You find Brandt, I'm going after Benji." He turned the engine back on and pulled away, watching the laptop on the passenger seat as he drove towards Benji's signal.

Jane ran down the alleyway and saw her friend.

"Brandt!" she fell to her knees next to him, seeing the blood that was both running from his lip and the hole in his jacket. Pulling the arm of the coat down, she saw the wound just below his shoulder and bit her lip; it looked painful, but thankfully not too bad. Grabbing her bag, she pulled out her mini first aid kit and began to work on Brandt's arm.

"Benji…" she heard Will's groggy voice and her head shot up.

"Brandt, are you ok?"

"I gotta get Benji…" he tried to sit up, but Jane pushed forceful hands onto his shoulders to keep him from doing so.

"Stay down, Will, it looks like you hit your head pretty bad there."

"I don't care, I have to get Benji." He once again attempted to get to his feet, but found himself pushed down again.

"Ethan's gone to get him, ok?"

"No, you don't understand." Brandt grabbed her wrist where it was working on his wound. "_I _have to save him."

"What do you mean 'save him'?" Jane asked, not really sure of the events that resulted in Brandt lying unconscious in an alleyway. "Brandt, what happened?"

"Bisley's men. They ambushed him and took him. I tried to stop them, but I couldn't… I couldn't protect him." Jane's stomach did a full 360 as she listened to what Brandt said.

"Oh God…" she breathed. "Ethan? Can you hear me?"

"Yeah, I reached where the signal was coming from but Benji's not here. Did I hear correctly? Does Bisley have Benji?"

"I think so." Jane sighed. "If Benji's signal was coming from there, they must have found his earpiece and mic. They would have disposed of it."

"Yeah, I'll have a look around and come pick you up. Then we can discuss how we're gonna get Benji back."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Fuck… _was the first thing that popped into Benji's mind. And quite right, too. The pain in his head was throbbing and he swore it was going to explode at any second. He was currently lying down, his arms tied tightly behind his back and his feet bound in the same uncomfortable manner. He felt like the floor was moving around slightly underneath him and as he listened in, he could hear the sound of an engine. So he was still in the van. Great.

He decided to open his eyes, hoping to catch a glimpse of a familiar area outside the window, however it was too dark; the only thing he could see were street lamps, which weren't much help at all.

"Hey, man, he's awake." He heard a voice from somewhere in the van.

"Deal with him then." Another voice came, causing Benji to worry. Deal with him? Surely if they had taken him, they wanted him alive, so hopefully 'dealing with him' was just another term for…

Suddenly, a rough material bag was pulled over his head, plummeting his vision into darkness. He only had a few seconds to realise what was going on before he felt a fist unceremoniously connect with the side of his face. The force of the punch mixed with the still lingering sense of unconsciousness promptly pulled him back under and his world disappeared.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Hope you liked it.  
>Much love x<em>


	4. Chapter 4

_Ok, so yet again, this is not a very long chapter, but I hope it is worth it xD  
>Thanks for the wonderful reviews so far.<br>Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o  
><em>  
>The next time Benji's senses returned to him, the ground had stopped moving and he was now in a seated position. The bag that they had placed over his head was still in position and the throbbing in his head had increased threefold. Wriggling his wrists, he found them tightly bound to the arms of the hard, wooden chair he now sat in; his ankles tied in much the same way to each chair leg. He felt light-headed, unable to shake that sort of feeling you get where everything around you becomes surreal and floaty.<p>

He thought back on the mission. He had _known _it was a bad idea him going undercover, right from the start. But Ethan gets what Ethan wants. He let out a quiet sigh. He shouldn't blame Ethan for this. He had no idea that they were going to get made; even though things never really worked out to plan anyway. He made to mental note to boycott Ethan from using the word 'simple', or anything of the like, when briefing them on a mission. All that ever did was jinx them; much like now. He assumed the team knew he was missing by now, but where would they start? He doubted his kidnappers would have left a single trace of evidence that would allow them to be followed. They probably took his mic and earpiece too, knowing his luck, making contact with any of his friends impossible.

He focused on his surroundings. Despite having the bag over his head, he could still hear things. The main thing being voices. He couldn't be sure how many there were exactly, but he recognised Bisley's immediately. Maybe it was a good thing that the target was there. Benji had been hidden under the safety of a mask at dinner so maybe he would see the tech's face, assume that his men had taken the wrong guy and let him go. However, how often did dangerous criminals let people go when they made that sort of mistake? On the other hand, he might have some way of knowing this was the same person he had dinner with and would want to know answers. Either way, the sound of footsteps getting closer reassured Benji that he would soon find out.

The bag was suddenly ripped from his head and immediately a bright light attacked his eyes, giving the feeling of a thousand knives jabbing their way into his head. He blinked rapidly, a few tears falling as his eyes got used to the sudden invasion of white light and looked around.

He saw four men; one being Bisley while the other three he recognised from the alleyway. He noticed that the three goons each had a gun on their jeans, causing him to panic a little more. The room he was sitting in was approximately the size of his own living room, but he got the feeling that they were within a much bigger building. He tried to make out any sounds in the surrounding area, but the only sound he could really make out was a low rumbling in the distance; that and the sound of his own heart racing at ten times its normal pace. He looked between each man, fear in his eyes as he waited for what Bisley would say. There were so many ways this could pan out based on the fact that there were so many sentences that the man could say.

"So, Mr Scott, you look a bit different to when we last met." Was the option Bisley went with. "Care to explain?" Benji didn't really know what to say to that. "Oh, come now. You were much more talkative at dinner." Bisley smirked evilly, stepping closer to the helpless agent. "Maybe if I put it a bit clearer for you, hmm?" he reached forward and grabbed Benji's tie, which had been loosened (obviously when they were searching him for bugs, trackers etc), pulling it forward. Benji yelped slightly as he lifted out of the chair marginally, but was jolted when the bounds brought the back legs of the chair off the ground; the tech feared he would fall forward. "Which organisation do you work for? Local police? FBI?"

Benji kept his mouth shut, mainly due to not wanting to give anything away but also because he feared what noises may escape him if his lips parted. His vision went suddenly white when bisley backhanded him across the face, his lip splitting on impact. The man let go of his tie and the chair fell back onto all four legs as he stepped back from the agent.

"Well, you may be quiet now, but you will tell me who you work for, one way or another." Bisley smiled again, sending shivers down Benji's spine, as he motioned for his men to follow him out of the room. Once Benji was alone, he couldn't help the small whimper that escaped his lips as he let his head lull forward and tried to stop the room from spinning.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Brandt and Jane sat in the back of the van as Ethan drove them to their safe house; Jane tentatively trying to clean Will's injury despite his attempts to pull away. No agent had spoken since they began the drive, but no one needed to. It was clear that there was a collective feeling of fear for their teammate's safety. As Jane finished bandaging Brandt's wound, she looked at his face in an attempt to read what he was feeling. His expression was anguished, his eyes showing tiny glimpses of the tears that threatened to fall. The corners of his bloodied lips were twitching as if he was fighting the urge to jump out of the van and run to find Benji at any moment. Jane hadn't seen his expression this solemn and grief-ridden since the day he told her and Benji about Croatia.

It was clear to her what he was thinking. He was thinking how he wasn't able to protect Julia Hunt back then, resulting in her death; now Benji had been taken from them and that was on him for not begin able to watch out for their friend. But Jane knew it wasn't his fault. Ethan would no doubt agree. And she knew 100% that there was no way on this earth that Benji would blame Brandt.

The just had to convince him of that.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Well, I hope I captured the angsty side of Brandt well enough, even though he had no dialogue.  
>Let me know!<br>Much love x_


	5. Chapter 5

_So here I am again, praying that I've still got them all in character. Haha what am I like?  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Benji stared at the gently swinging light above his head wondering how long it had been since Bisley and his men had left. He thought on the last words the criminal had said to him before his exit.

_"Well, you may be quiet now, but you will tell me who you work for, one way or another."_

He really didn't like the sound of that. He feared that more violent actions would be taken in an attempt to get information out of him, but he swore to himself at that moment, he would not reveal any information no matter how bad things got. Regardless of what they planned on doing to him, he would never give up his friends. They could kill him for all he cared, but as long as he took the information Bisley wanted to the grave.

The door opened suddenly, causing Benji to jump and his heart rate to increase yet again. If they kept this up, Benji would have a heart attack before they could get into their 'torture'.

"Hello there." Bisley's voice drifted through the air as he made his entrance, two of his goons close behind. "Have you thought anymore about telling us what we want to know?" Benji just glared at the men in front of him but kept his mouth shut. "Shame." Bisley turned to the man on his left and nodded.

Benji saw the man step forward and could do nothing to prevent the fist coming towards his face, catching him in the right temple. As he tried to shake his vision clear, he felt the same fist connect with his left eye, immediately feeling the skin at the corner of his eyebrow give. His head flopped to the side as he blinked away the black circles closing in on his sight. Bisley knelt down in front of him and grabbed his chin, forcing the tech to look him in the eye.

"You know, this would be much easier for the both of us if you just told me who you work for." Bisley's bright green eyes continued to stare Benji down, leaving the agent unable to look away from the hypnotic gaze. "Just tell me which organisation you belong to and we can end this now." Benji finally managed to close his eyes, the dryness of his eyeballs subsiding as he shut out Bisley's face and clenched his teeth together. He heard Bisley sigh and before he knew it, the grip on his chin gave a fierce push, sending the chair backwards, taking the technician with it as it tumbled to the ground. The fall knocked the wind from Benji's lungs and he gasped for air as a foot came down solidly onto his throat. He looked up to see that the heavy-duty boot belonged to the second goon, who was glaring down at him with evil in his eyes. He then saw Bisley crouch next to his head, stroking Benji's forehead menacingly as he watched the younger man choking and wheezing. "I really wish you'd cooperate with us. But I guess we'll have to try things from a different approach."

Bisley rose to his feet and motioned for the goon to stop, allowing Benji to cough and gasp freely as his chair was pulled back to its standing position. As the agent heaved and blinked to clear his vision, he looked up with blurred eyes to see Bisley beginning to retreat.

"I'll be back soon. Sleep well."

With that, a sharp right hook from the first man sent him spiralling back into the dark oblivion.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Ethan, Jane and Brandt sat in the dining room of their safe house trying to come up with a way to save Benji. Well, they had come up with many ideas already, however none proved feasible or logical. Brandt let his head drop onto the table, unable to shake the deep seated sense of guilt that lingered in his mind. If only he'd got there sooner…

"Ethan…" Jane's voice brought Will out of his self-induced trance. "Do you think Bisley knows IMF were involved?"

"I don't know." Ethan finally stopped pacing and dropped into the seat next to her. "If he did, I have a feeling that he might have contacted us by now."

"You're thinking some sort of ransom demand?"

"I'm not sure, but either way, we need to get Benji out of there. I have a strong suspicion that if Bisley doesn't know who he's working for, he'll try every trick in the book to get that information out of him. And we know how stubborn Benji is." Ethan thought back on the moments when Benji and Jane had broken him out of the prison in Moscow; Benji had blatantly refused to open a door when Ethan had demanded him to do so. He couldn't hear the younger agent, however knew that he was on the receiving end of one of his stubborn outbursts.

"So what do we do now, then?" Brandt finally spoke up, though kept his head buried in his arms resulting in his words coming out muffled. "Just wait with the hopes that Bisley makes a ransom call?" he lifted his head on the last sentence, gaze flicking between his teammates as they both pondered his question.

Truth be told, none of them really knew what to do.

And that terrified them.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Well, how was it?  
>Much love x<em>


	6. Chapter 6

_Ok, so here we go. I hope this one is up to expectations.  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

The sound of a door opening was what roused Benji from unconsciousness. Lifting his head warily, he saw Bisley and one of his men approaching him. In the goon's hand, he saw something catching the light, causing curiosity and panic to kick in at once. He took in a deep breath as they got closer, waiting for Bisley to say something. He knew if Brandt were there, the analyst would make a snide comment about this being the longest Benji had ever been quiet for; well, willingly, anyway.

"Well, seeing as you won't tell me what I want, Mr Scott, I have had to take some drastic measures to procure the information I need." He nodded to the other man before stepping around to Benji's side. He reached a hand to the agent's head and, gripping the blonde hair firmly, he tugged his head backwards and to the side, leaving the whole right side of his neck exposed. He then bent down so he could talk directly into the technician's ear, hot breath sending shudders down his spine. "You see, being in my position, I happen to have access to more than just physical weapons. Sometimes, I require something a little more… shall we say, subtle."

Benji saw the other man approaching slowly, lifting the item in his hand to display that it was a syringe. Benji tried to fight against Bisley's grip, however he could only sit and helplessly watch as the man plunged the needle into his neck, the subsequent stinging quickly numbed away by the strange feeling that washed over him. After a few seconds, Bisley let go of his hair and circled back to his front.

"Now, I think you're feeling a little more cooperative." He smirked evilly at his captive. "We'll start with your real name."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

The trio continued to sit in silence as they fought exhaustion in order to figure out their plan. All agents were thrown out of their individual reveries when Ethan's phone began buzzing on the table. The three of them stared at it for a second, the same question resounding in each other their minds. Ethan reached out and picked up the mobile, connecting the call and placing the device to his ear.

"Hello?"

_"Ah, Agent Hunt, how nice to speak to you when you're not watching me from the van across the street."_

"Mr Bisley, I presume."

_"You presume correct. May I in turn presume that you know why I am calling."_

"I wanna speak to my agent."

_"Oh, I'm sorry, but I'm afraid Agent Dunn is a little, shall I say, incapacitated right now."  
><em>  
>Ethan swallowed hard at the man's words, praying that Benji was still alive. "What do you want?"<p>

_"Oh, I thought you'd never ask. Now that we are both on the same wavelength, I would like you to meet me. We have some business to discuss."_

"Where do I need to be?" Ethan clicked at Jane and motioned his hand like a pen; she immediately provided him with the needed equipment and he scribbled down the address and time of the meeting. "I'll be there."

_"Oh I'm looking forward to it." _with that, the line went dead. Ethan stared at the phone for a few moments before looking across to his team.

"Ok, here's the plan."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Bisley ended the call and looked down at Benji, who sat in his chair, breathing heavily through his nose due to the duct tape covering his mouth. His eyes were red and stained with the tears that had fallen as he had been unable to prevent himself from answering Bisley's questions.

"Oh, don't look so depressed, Dunn. You'll see your friends soon enough." Bisley smirked before leaving Benji alone to cry into the gag.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuun!  
>Hehe well… I know I'm evil aren't I? But you love me for it ;)<br>Much love x_


	7. Chapter 7

_Well, here's where things get a little… uh, shall we say the situation becomes a little sticky for our team…  
>Hope it's worth it!<br>Enjoy!_

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

"It's over, Bisley." Ethan cried, not removing his guns aim from the man who was holding the detonator.

"Oh, it's far from over, Agent Hunt." Bisley smirked. "Just you wait." Ethan and Jane could only watch as Bisley brought his own gun to his head and pulled the trigger, releasing his hold on the detonator and immediately setting off the 'dead-man's switch'. As he fell to the ground in a lifeless heap, the two agents were also thrown to the floor as the building nearby burst into a ball of fire and debris.

Coughing as the smoke swooped around them, the pair managed to get to their feet, staring at the building is fear for their friends' safety. All they could do was wait for their two teammates to emerge from the rubble.

But they didn't.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_**Earlier**_

Ethan and Jane made their way to the doors of the building, which was located on the docks, and with a glance at each other, pulled out their guns and entered. Checking all directions, they wanted to make sure that nothing was rigged or set up as a trap; however they were sure Bisley hadn't lured them down here just to kill them. As he had said to Ethan on the phone, they had 'business' to discuss. They figured that said business would have something to do with Benji's life.

As they reached the open area of the building, the pair saw Bisley standing in the centre with three goons standing near him; but no sign of Benji.

"Agent Hunt, I'm glad you made it. And who might this lovely young lady be?" he motioned to Jane, who remained quiet. "Hm, I take it your team is generally not a very talkative bunch. But anyway, down to business…"

"Before any of that," Ethan interrupted. "I wanna see my man. I want proof of life."

"Of course." Bisley nodded before signalling to one of the men who briefly disappeared into another room. Silence fell on the group as they waited and only moments later, the door opened again. The goon appeared again, this time, pushing Benji in front of him. His hands were tied behind his back and he looked exhausted. He had a gash at his hairline on the left side of his forehead and another small one on his left eyebrow. His right eye had a red bruise forming around it and it was when the pair saw it that they noticed their friend's eyes. They looked tired from what he had endured however there was also something else there. It looked like shame. And it killed Ethan to see it. The man gave Benji a shove forward and he stopped only a few feet from where Bisley stood before the gun was aimed at his head. "So now that you can see that your friend here is ok, let's get down to it, shall we?"

_Define 'ok'. _Ethan thought, but he nodded and waited for Bisley to give him his demands.

"It has come to my attention that you were sent to stop me from making a sale and had sent Agent Dunn here to alter my plans. Well, my plans have definitely altered, however I can imagine they will not be to your liking."

"Go on." Ethan spoke in a monotonous voice as he and Jane both kept their guns pointed in Bisley's direction.

"Now, here is the deal I wish to make. You turn a blind eye to what has gone on and let me leave town."

"And if we don't?"

"Then I'm afraid Agent Dunn's luck will have run out." Bisley's goon forced the gun into Benji's temple to emphasise Bisley's point, eliciting a small groan and a wince from the tech.

"So if we go along with your demands, you will let Benji go?"

"Of course, Agent Hunt. I am a man of my word." Bisley smiled as he spoke, causing his words to sound happy and nonchalant. "However it won't be straight away."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jane finally spoke up.

"Ah! She speaks!" Bisley laughed before going on. "Well, you see. I need to be sure that you won't be following me; otherwise this kind of renders our little deal here quite pointless, doesn't it? I take Agent Dunn with me as, shall we say, insurance. Only, and I mean only, when I am far enough away from here, I will let him go."

Ethan and Jane shared another glance as they listened to Bisley's words, giving the man the impression they were considering his offer. However they were merely waiting for Brandt to make his move.

Suddenly, a deafening gunshot rang out across the building and the man who had been holding the gun to Benji's head collapsed in a heap, along with a second man. The third, however used the opportunity to fire his weapon into the shadows and on the first squeeze of the trigger, a yelp of pain could be heard.

_Damnit… _Ethan thought as he heard Brandt's cry, hoping that he wasn't too badly injured. Ethan then looked at Benji, who was still standing on the spot, frozen. Why wasn't he running? No one had a gun on him anymore, but he remained glued to the spot, dropping his head to look at the ground. What the hell was going on?

"Oh, I, uh, suppose you thought I wouldn't expect that, right?" Bisley gave a chuckle as he walked back to Benji; Ethan and Jane still confused as to why their friend didn't run to safety. "I took a little precautionary measure to keep my goods safe." Watching Bisley as he moved, it made Ethan's blood boil hearing him refer to Benji as 'goods'. He saw Bisley reach up and open Benji's shirt, revealing a rather extravagant looking explosive strapped to the technician's chest. "Couldn't afford to take the risk now, could I?"

Benji kept his eyes transfixed to the ground as the pair watched, a single tear escaping his eye while the sounds of Brandt being pulled into view by the remaining goon filled the room. His left leg was bleeding just above the knee, but thankfully Ethan could tell it wasn't life threatening.

However their situation had just got a whole lot worse. The man now had both his own and Brandt's guns; pointing one at the analyst, who was lying on the floor clutching his leg, and the second at Benji's head. Brandt looked up from the floor, trying to catch Benji's eye, however the tech couldn't bring himself to look at him. Brandt could tell he was ashamed at himself for getting into this situation and now pulling the team into it. He wished he could somehow reassure Benji that it wasn't his fault, but now didn't seem like the ideal time. The room fell silent again as each agent waited for whatever would come next.

Without warning, Ethan spun slightly on the spot, firing a single bullet into the remaining man's head, leaving Brandt free to move. At this, Bisley made a run for it, quickly darting out of the exit with Jane and Ethan hot on his heels.

"Brandt! Get that shit off Benji and get the hell out of here!" Ethan yelled as the pair disappeared out of the door. Once the room was silent again, Brandt stood onto his good leg and began to approach Benji. He watched helplessly as his friend's legs gave way and he fell to the ground, sitting on the spot as tears fell down his cheeks.

"Brandt… just go… save yourself. I don't want you dying because of me." Benji begged, still unable to look the analyst in the eye. Brandt dropped to the floor next to him and began to work on getting the explosives off the tech's chest.

"Hey, don't be stupid, ok? I'm not leaving you here. I'm gonna save you now, because I didn't before."

"What do you mean?" Benji finally looked up, his eyes red and glazed over with tears.

"Back in the alleyway." Brandt fought the lump in his throat as he spoke; it was now his turn to feel unable to make eye contact. "I tried to stop them from taking you, but I couldn't. I tried to protect you and I failed. Again."

"This isn't your fault, Brandt." Benji's croaky voice replied. "Don't ever think that, please."

Brandt looked at his friend and after a few moments of inner debate, he gave a nod before going back to work on the bomb.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Outside, Ethan and Jane followed Bisley as he made his escape, guns at the ready as he turned a corner. When they followed suit, they saw him standing on the edge of the dock holding a gun in one hand and a small item in another. Jane squinted at it and felt her stomach drop as she realised that he was holding a detonator. With his finger pressed firmly on the button.

_Dead man's switch. _

They couldn't shoot him without causing him to let go of that button. If he let go of it, Benji and Brandt were dead. Jane's teeth clenched together as she fought the urge to scream. It was Ethan who broke the silence first.

"It's over, Bisley." Ethan cried, not removing his guns aim from the man who was holding the detonator.

"Oh, it's far from over, Agent Hunt." Bisley smirked. "Just you wait." Ethan and Jane could only watch as Bisley brought his own gun to his head and pulled the trigger, releasing his hold on the detonator and immediately setting off the 'dead-man's switch'. As he fell to the ground in a lifeless heap, the two agents were also thrown to the floor as the building nearby burst into a ball of fire and debris.

Coughing as the smoke swooped around them, the pair managed to get to their feet, staring at the building is fear for their friends' safety. All they could do was wait for their two teammates to emerge from the rubble.

But they didn't.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_I swear I feel so evil for my cliffhangers…. But will it stop me? Nup. *insert grin here*  
>Much love x<em>


	8. Chapter 8

_So, I dunno if this will be the last chapter or if I will write a short epilogue… I don't really know what to put in an epilogue but if you guys have any ideas, feel free to let me know and I'll see what I can do.  
>Hope it's up to standards!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Jane and Ethan stared at the remains of the building as it burnt and crumbled. Flames and smoke reached out to the night sky, turning the moon an eerie shade of grey. The crackling of the fire, along with falling debris crashing to the ground, resulted in their cries of their friends' names to become lost.

Ethan looked to Jane as she stood with tears streaming down her cheeks, leaving clear lines through the dirt that had rested there. Both agents had lost someone they cared about through their job; Jane had watched Hanaway die in her arms while Ethan had to watch Julia lead a life without him. Now, as if they hadn't lost enough already, they faced the possibility of having to bury two of their best friends. So much about this was not right.

Once the smoke began to clear, the pair made their way closer, continuing to call out their friend's names with hopes that they were alive. However, the further they walked into the destruction, the dimmer their hopes became. At one point, they saw a hand sticking out of the rubble and rushed to it, praying that it was one of the agents alive. Yet when they reached it, they found it to be the lifeless body of one of Bisley's men.

"Brandt!" Jane called out once more, her sobs evident in her voice. "Benji!" Ethan stood up and embraced her, letting her cry into his shoulder as he begged for them to be ok.

"Come on guys…" Ethan whispered into Jane's hair, fighting the tear that was trying so hard to fall.

They stood like that for what seemed like forever when they heard something.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_**Moments earlier**_

Brandt continued to work on freeing Benji from the explosive, his fingers red raw from the tough material. As the analyst refused to give up, the technician had pretty much done the opposite.

"Please, Brandt. I know you wanna help, but you can't…" he begged his friend to stop. "You shouldn't risk your life because of me."

"Why not, Benji? Huh? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't risk it all for my best friend?"

"Because you wouldn't be here if it weren't for me." Another tear dropped, against Benji's will. "I tried so hard to not tell Bisley about you guys. I didn't want you getting yourselves in danger too. But he used th-this stuff on me and I just couldn't stop myself. I just sat there and answered every single one of his questions… I just…" squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to regains his composure but it was fading fast. "I feel weak. I mean, I'm a field agent now, for goodness sake… I should have been stronger…"

"Benji, you're one of the strongest people I know." Brandt tried to get Benji's attention as he spoke. "Listen to me, ok? How many guys could go from dealing with military-grade firewalls in the tallest building in the world to shooting a man in the head from several metres away, huh? You saved my life back there, Benji. It's only fair that I get to save yours too."

"Yeah, but I didn't save your life just so you could go and end it trying to save me, did I?" Benji gave a small laugh which made the analyst smile. That was the Benji that Brandt knew.

"Yeah? Well, all the more reason to get you out of this thing." Benji nodded at Brandt's words, trying in any way he could to assist. "Ok, so it looks like this bit here…" Brandt lowered his head to get a closer look at the link and suddenly he realised what he had to do. "Hang on! I'm almost there…" with a pull, he felt the explosive give a bit; both agents' hearts stopped momentarily with the fear that it would blow up.

But it didn't.

"That's it, Benji!" Brandt couldn't help exclaiming the obvious; it was, as he had discovered, what he was very good at. "Come on, let's get this off you." Still moving slowly, Brandt helped the younger agent out of the explosive and once it was off, he gently placed it on the floor. Without warning, he felt Benji throw his arms around his neck, feeling the intense beating of the other man's heart against his chest. Even though Benji said nothing as he embraced the analyst, he didn't have to, for the hug said it all.

_Thank you._

Once Benji pulled back, Brandt nodded in acknowledgement before grabbing his friend's arm and pulling him towards the exit. Suddenly, he heard something in his ear piece. Something that made his stomach drop.

They weren't going to make it to the exit in time.

Looking across the room, he saw a window leading directly outside.

"Benji, I know you're gonna hate me for this, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to make you jump out of a window." He explained as blue eyes stared at him.

"So? I made you jump into a computer array. I guess it's only fair." He smiled, understanding what he meant as the pair rushed towards the window. Due to the wound in Brandt's leg, Benji had to help him onto the ledge and once they were balanced on it, they saw their landing spot.

"Heh, fancy a swim?" Brandt turned to his friend.

"I thought you'd never ask." The two agents then launched themselves off the ledge and towards the water, the force of the explosion behind them aiding their leap. They landed in the water with two virtually simultaneous splashes and moments later, appeared at the surface gasping for air. Benji turned to Brandt, who was struggling slightly to keep himself above water due to the rapid numbing of his injured leg. "You alright? Here, hold on." He swam over to the analyst and pulled the man's arm over his shoulders, allowing him to use the tech as a temporary float. Looking back, they saw the building in flames and debris flying everywhere. It began to fall towards them and they swam frantically out of the way, a few pieces of wood and metal landing a little too close for comfort. One caught Brandt in the shoulder, eliciting a yell of agony from the agent, while another landed painfully on the back of Benji's head, causing the technician to briefly disappear under the surface of the water. Brandt quickly used the fact that his arm was over Benji's shoulders to pull his dazed friend back up, holding onto him tight as he regained his bearings.

"No scuba-diving just now, buddy." He said to his slightly bemused teammate with a smile. "We're staying above the water."

"I know that!" Benji stuck his tongue out at Brandt as the two made their way towards land.

When they finally felt the ground under their feet, they knew they had made it; the pair pulling their aching bodies onto the mud. Brandt rolled onto his back and gazed up at the sky, lapping up the moment of peace that he knew wouldn't last long.

In fact, it lasted a whole ten seconds (new record!) before he was rolling across to Benji, who was suffering a minor coughing fit. Brandt assumed he swallowed some water when the piece of debris pushed him under.

"Easy there, man. Don't pull a muscle." He laughed, resulting in his uninjured shoulder to receive a vigorous punch from the technician, who in turn began to laugh.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

Ethan and Jane followed the sound; every step closer the sound beginning to sound more and more familiar. Soon, they were descending the banks of the water, the sight before them filling them with such relief.

"Oh thank God!" Jane cried as they rushed to their soaking, muddied and bloodied teammates.

"Didn't think… you could get… rid of us… that easy, didja?" Brandt said between gasps for air as he laughed uncontrollably. Neither Jane nor Ethan knew why the pair were laughing so much, however they didn't care, as the infectious sound took over their own bodies and they joined their friends.

They were just glad to be alive.

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_There you have it. Hope you liked!  
>Much love x<em>


	9. Chapter 9 Epilogue

_Ok, so here's an epilogue. I really hope I haven't gone and ruined the whole story. LOL I have made Benji do something a little drastic in this chapter. A bit silly of him, but I wanted him to do something that would hit Brandt hard (no he doesn't literally hit Brandt) and make him realise the point Benji is trying to make in the chapter. I hope it isn't too out of character.  
>Enjoy!<em>

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

It had thrown Brandt off a little when he got Benji's text message.

_Bar. 10 minutes. I'm buying._

Brandt had stared incredulously at his phone. He knew Benji well enough to know that when he offers to buy, he needs to talk to you. This couldn't be good. Regardless, Will grabbed his jacket and made the walk down the street from their hotel to the local bar the technician was referring to, spotting his friend almost immediately as he stepped inside. With a deep breath, he made his way across the room and when Benji saw him, he immediately put down his drink.

"Hey." He spoke with a smile as he motioned for the analyst to sit. "What are you having?"

"Uh, whatever you're having." Brandt took his spot and waited for his friend to order his drink. It had been just over a week since the incident with Bisley and the pair still had their wounds to show for it. Brandt was using a crutch to aid his injured leg and had a small mark on the back of his shoulder from the falling debris. His other shoulder would scar up nicely from the knife wound he sustained in the alley. Benji on the other hand, had more tell-tales signs of what he went through. As the tech turned back to him, Brandt saw the stitches on his forehead and the small white strips covering the edge of his eyebrow, along with the slowly fading bruise around his right eye. People on the street would probably assume he was just a guy who got into a drunken fight, but Brandt knew the truth.

"How's the leg?" Benji asked once Brandt's beer had arrived. Despite them staying in the same hotel, the pair hadn't really had a chance to talk since the incident.

"It's getting there; sore, but I'll live. How about you? How're you holding up?"

"Oh, you know, same old same old." Benji looked down at his glass as he ran his finger around the rim. Brandt knew he was lying, straight away. He had heard the technician's cries in the night as he fought the memories of what had happened. He wanted to do nothing more than to run into the adjacent room and help, but he knew Benji liked to deal with his things personally and alone. And as hard as it was for him to ignore his friend's thrashing, he had to respect that.

"Yeah…" Brandt offered a small smile as the tech looked up and took a sip from his drink. He wasn't really sure what to say. Fortunately, Benji must have sensed that and spun his chair around slightly so that he was facing him.

"Look, Brandt, I know we haven't had much chance to, you know, talk about… what happened. But I've still seen you. Over the past week, you've barely been able to look at me for more than a few seconds without turning away. What's going on in there? Please tell me." Brandt saw the sincerity and sadness-verging- on-pain in the younger man's blue eyes. Truth be told, the analyst knew that he had been doing just that, even subconsciously.

"I'm sorry, Benji. I just… I'm finding it hard to convince myself that it wasn't my fault Bisley got to you."

"But Brandt, I thought I said-"

"No, please Benji. I know you said you don't blame me and I can accept that. I just can't stop _myself_ from blaming me, you know."

"But why, Will?" the way Benji produced his question seemed almost childlike and it only reminded Brandt of how vulnerable the tech had been. "It isn't your fault."

"Benj, it may not be an official part of my job, but I assigned myself the task of watching out for my friends. You, Jane… hell, even Ethan. When I failed to protect Julia in Croatia, I swore to myself that I would watch out for those close to me. And that I would protect them no matter what. But, when I saw those men throw you into that van, I knew that I had failed again."

Benji stared at the man in shock, trying to let the words settle into his brain. Suddenly, without warning, he stood up and began to make his way across the room, causing Brandt to tilt his head in confusion. He quickly rose to his feet and followed the technician into the restroom. Once they were inside, no one else in the cold, echoing room, Benji turned to Brandt. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the small pen knife he kept there, causing Brandt's heart rate to double, dreading what Benji was planning on doing. He watched, mesmerised, as his friend took a deep breath and squeezed his eyes shut before letting the blade slice across the palm of his hand, bright red liquid dripping into the sink. Benji gasped as the stinging pain hit him and he dropped the knife into the bowl in front of him.

"What the hell, Benji?" Brandt began to step towards him, stopping when Benji looked at him, his blue orbs more penetrating than he'd ever seen. "I…"

"Brandt, it is so easy for people to get hurt. Look." He held his hand out to the perplexed analyst who blinked a few times and shook his head in disbelief.

"But, Benji, you did that yourself…"

Benji rolled his eyes and sighed. "I know that, Brandt. What I'm trying to tell you is that whether it's me hurting myself, or someone else inflicting it on me. Whether it's an accident or intentional. Things will hurt me. It's part of life." Brandt listened as the usually light hearted agent sounded serious and intense. "I could walk out there, right now, and be hit by a truck." Brandt winced at the thought. Why was Benji being so morbid? "It could happen. But that's because danger is everywhere. Every time I get up in a morning, anything could happen. But that's just how it is. And nothing can change that. This wasn't the first time I've got into a sticky situation and I can't promise you that it won't be the last. Brandt, you're my best friend. You look out for me, and I do the same for you; that's what friends do. But protecting me isn't your job. To do that, you'd probably have to, I don't know, wrap me in bubble wrap or something."

"I might just have to after this little stunt, Benji."

"Yeah, well if it gets the message into your head… Brandt… I've spent the past week thinking to myself; was it my fault that you guys got into that situation at the warehouse? Was it my fault that you got shot? I keep having this tugging at my mind that if I'd been stronger against Bisley, if I'd been able to fight harder, then none of that would have happened. It's a hard feeling to shake, but I just have to convince myself that it wasn't my fault. You need to do the same." Benji gave a pleading look towards Brandt and felt relieved when he saw his friend nod. "Look, are we good?"

Brandt gazed at his friend for a few moments before sighing. "Yeah. Yeah, we are."

"Ok."

"Now can we please get that hand sorted out?" Brandt pointed to the cut on his friend's hand and raised his eyebrows.

"Good thinking." Benji smiled as he leaned over the sink, rinsing the blood off the wound. There was a brief moment of quiet as the pair cleaned the cut before Benji broke the silence that had taken hold. "Thanks, Will."

"You're welcome." Brandt smiled. "Though I ain't helping you explain this to Ethan. You're on your own for that." Benji gave a laugh, which turned into an 'ow' as the wound was cleaned. However he was laughing again when he heard Brandt whisper a single word.

"Wuss."

_o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o_

_So there it is. Like I said, I know Benji cutting his hand was a little odd, but I wanted him to do something to prove to Brandt that he can't stop Benji from getting hurt.  
>Hope it was ok…<br>Much love x_


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